Ask Patty – Automotive Advice for Women Blog Carnival: June 19th

Get
your motor running. Head out on the highway! Looking for adventure, or
whatever comes my way! Ask Patty welcomes you to another blog carnival
<cheers>! This week we have some posts from all over the map,
including women and their purchasing habits, some tips on safety for
women, and apparently the top 10 cars for women… as written by a man?
You’ll see. Buckle up gals!

Okay, so I had to get to it first. About.com’s Aaron Gold writes about the Top 10 Cars for Women
and states his reasons for choosing the vehicles he does as “women tell
us they prefer a car that's agile, has good visibility, and isn't a
chore to drive.” Is that all we want ladies? He also mentions that a
fun-to-drive factor was important. I’ll definitely second that. He
lists cars like the Honda Fit, Mazda 3, and Subaru Forester…

DaimlerChrysler was the exclusive automotive sponsor of the opening ceremony for the 17th annual Global Summit of Women 2007,
which was held in Berlin, Germany June 14-16, 2007. It marks the eighth
year that the company has sponsored the Summit. The theme of this
year's conference, "The Global Marketplace: Opportunities and
Challenges," serves as a platform for idea-sharing to energize women
who are actively involved in commerce around the world.

A women-only car show?
Why the heck not! Women around the country are gearing up and stepping
out in their hot rods and favorite vehicles. At the Gatriot event in
Michigan, Hazel Michalski of Eastpointe and the Red Hat Society will
cruise to the show in her 1974 Corvette Stingray. "I want women to know
classic cars aren't just a man's sport," said Denise Casanova, a
self-employed medical billing agent. "We love cars just as much as men
do because it's just a lot of fun."

Ah, summer. That means family vacations, summer trips to the beach, and
many many graduations. And with graduation, comes independence, and
what often follows that is buying or owning a car. Kara McGuire of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune talks about the many pitfalls for new car buyers and what you should know BEFORE you walk in.

Have you ever wanted to know what you should have in your trunk? You
always see lists of things you should carry and frankly sometimes it
seems like so much stuff! Health News Digest
put together a fairly simple, yet comprehensive, list of essentials for
your trunk, including some obvious pieces like a flashlight, jumper
cables, and a first-aid kit.

Jalopnik recently asked “What Would You Bury”
if you had tons of bubble wrap and a large hole? Presumably they are
looking for automotive suggestions. It comes on the heels of the story
that some Oklahoma natives found a 1957 Plymouth (remember them?)
Belvedere buried in a time capsule.

Some safety tips from Harnack this week as well. Some of her tips are a little over the top (I checked out her crying baby theory on Snopes
and it’s a whopper of a lie), but a lot of her ideas are right on:
Don’t sit in your car in a parking lot once you are inside. Instead
lock your doors and leave right away so you don’t’ become a target.
There is more where that came from at the Harnack blog.

That’s
it for this week! Thank you for all of your submissions! Make sure to
submit next week! Please remember to submit your article using the
online form or by emailing Breanne at Breanne@askpatty.com.